Disclaimer: I own nothing. Whatever.

Shiva is voiced by Paula Tiso, who voiced Lulu in Final Fantasy X.

Chapter 26: Kitten Hachi-chan vs Shiva, Guardian of Ice

Kitten shivered. "So cold…what is this place, the South Pole!"

Antarctica…

She ran across the floor of the temple to warm up a little, and pulled open the door. When she stepped through, she found herself in a cave of some sort. Icicles hung down from the ceiling , and the floor and walls were covered with a layer of ice.

"So cold…"

"If thou canst not take this chill, I fail to see why though art the Sorceress of Ice." A woman in a long, light blue shawl appeared. Kitten couldn't see her face, but she looked like she was barefoot. "What is thine name?"

"Kitten Hatchigamagutchi," Kitten said confidently.

"Quite a mouthful. I am Shiva, Guardian of Ice. Doth thou truly wish to engage me? I shan't hold back from the start."

"Yeah, I have to fight you." Kitten spread her stance, and grew serious.

Beneath the hood of her shawl, Shiva smirked. "Very well. But heed this warning: I shall not show mercy to thee." Shiva straightened, and cast off her shawl.

Shiva's skin was light blue, as was her hair, tied into several long and thick braids. She wore very little clothing, just enough to conceal her modesty. She was around seven feet tall, and had a gaze that cut through one like the biting winds of a blizzard.

Kitten swallowed, trying to ignore the cold and her nerves. She created an ice spear, and charged at Shiva. She threw it, but the Ice Queen avoided it easily. Shiva brought a foot around, and caught Kitten's shoulder. It stung a little, but nothing bad.

Shiva raised a hand up, and brought it down. An icicle almost skewered Kitty. As Shiva brought down more icicles, Kitten moved around, making it to a place where there were none on the ceiling. She sent quick bursts of ice at Shiva, who deflected them with a practiced hand. A few blasts hit Shiva, but they were few and far between.

Kitten held her hands a few inches away from each other. Ice started to form into an orb, and Kitten pushed it at Shiva. The orb exploded apart, blasting Shiva into the air and ten feet away. Her arms were covered with ice an inch thick.

Kitten had taken to the ground, to avoid getting blasted. She stood back up, and created another ice spear. She threw it at Shiva perfectly. The Black Guardian saw it coming, and broke apart the ice on her arms. She grabbed the ice spear out of the air, and broke it over her knee.

"Very well. I suppose I must use 'that'," Shiva said. She picked up her shawl, and threw it into the air. It burst outward, becoming a thousand snowflakes. They flew over to Kitten and started spinning around her. At first, it seemed to do nothing. But at the snowflakes went faster and faster, Kitten couldn't see anything through the white. This technique, whatever it was, effectively blinded her to attacks, and the wind made so much noise that she could barely see anything.

She felt pain in her arm, stomach. She touched her left arm lightly. A needle of some sort, buried into her arm. She tugged the ice needle out, but felt another couple in her right shoulder, and three in her leg. Kitten braced herself for more needles, but there were none. Instead she got…a boot to the head. Minus the boot. Kitten got knocked to the ground, and scrambled to get up, but she felt a sharp pain in the side of her stomach. It was a knife.

Okay, focus, getting hysterical won't help you, Kitten thought. She watched carefully, checking for any disruption in the snow--There! Kitten brought an arm up, creating an ice sword as she swung. The snow vanished, revealing Shiva. The Guardian of Ice had a horrible gash along her stomach and chest. Kitty nearly swooned from the sight of blood, but managed to stay standing.

"Thou…thou broke my Diamond Dust." Shiva shuddered. "One last…thou must be a villain, for this to work."

"I'm not a villain, I'm a good guy!"

Shiva sighed. "Thou shalt see." She raised her arms, and flecks of ice and snow rose up, and came into a group in the center of the room. They materialized into a glittering full-length mirror.

Kitten came closer to the mirror. She didn't look nearly as bad as she felt. When she was close enough to touch it, she stopped. She reached out slowly, and the surface of the mirror rippled. Kitten jumped back, but it was too late. A light-blue hand reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into the mirror!"

Shiva came to the side Kitten had been on, and sighed. "A villain, one who is stupid, foolish, too curious for their own good." She looked at Kitten, trapped in the mirror, pounding at the glass in vain. She was yelling, but no sound came out. "Thou art truly a villain to fall for my Demon Mirror Technique." A single tear rolled down Shiva's cheek, and she caught it on her index finger.

The tear floated off her hand, and touched the mirror. The surface began to freeze over completely. Kitten's screams of fear went unheard. Shiva walked away even before the mirror had frozen completely. She had used this technique few times before, but none of those times did the person caught, escape. Her back turned to the mirror, she snapped her fingers, and the ice shattered to pieces.

"It is done," Shiva said emotionlessly.

"Are you sure?"

A/N: You may be wondering why Shiva has an Olde English kind of thing going on. It's because...I don't know. I just want to, and I'm the author, so what I say, goes!

So, perhaps Kitten has done what none else could! Escape from Shiva's greatest (and cheapest, don't forget cheapest) technique! What will succeed? Pure instinct, or centuries of experience? Speed, or strength? Find out next time!